Quantification of interleukin-1 in nasal polyps from patients with chronic sinusitis

We have measured interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and beta levels in nasal polyps (NP) from patients with chronic sinusitis (CS) in order to determine their significance in the pathogenesis of NP. NP in ten cases (five male and five female; age range, 17-63 years) were removed to separate mononuclear (M) and polymorphonuclear (PMN) fractions through Ficoll-Paque separation media. ELISA measurements of the M fraction showed that the mean value of IL-1 beta was 17.8 pg/ml per gram, which was significantly higher than that of IL-1 alpha (7.04 pg/ml per gram, P < 0.01, Wilcoxon test). In the PMN fraction, the mean value of IL-1 alpha was 8.79 pg/ml per gram and that of IL-beta was 7.85 pg/ml per gram, which was not significantly different. Mononuclear leukocytes, particularly activated monocytes, seem to be a major source of IL-1 in the NP taken from patients with CS.